Whether for private home use or public use, the dispensing of paper products such as towels and tissues has resulted in many different types of manual and automatic dispensing devices for controlling quantities dispensed, as well as for determining how much of the paper product has been dispensed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,780,380 describes a dispenser of stacked paper products (e.g., folded and stacked napkins or paper towels) wherein a sensor unit is carried by an inner side wall of the dispenser housing and is used for detecting when refill of the dispenser is needed. Such dispensers, however, generally lack the ability to identify whether the refill product is authorized for use with the dispenser. Unauthorized or unapproved products may be of an inferior quality and can result in jamming or other disruptive issues. The practice of refilling a proprietary dispenser with a less expensive and lower quality product is often referred to in the industry as “stuffing”.
Thus, methods and systems have been proposed to provide a dispenser that “locks-out” or disables the dispenser if the product is not authenticated. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,165,716 discloses a method of dispensing a product that includes determining by a processor if the product loaded into a dispenser is authorized for use in the dispenser by identifying a reference indication associated with the product. In particular, the method includes exciting a pigment in a reference indication on the product with a first light. A second light is emitted by the pigment. A first light intensity is measured of the second light at a first time, and a second light intensity is measured of the second light at second time. A change in light intensity is calculated from the first time to the second time and is compared to a predetermined value to authenticate the product. In response to determination that the product is authorized, a first amount of the product is dispensed. If the determination is made that the sheet product is unauthorized, a second lesser amount of sheet product is dispensed.
Accordingly, the industry is continuously seeking new and improved dispensing systems that can accurately authenticate a product without prohibitively adding to the cost of the dispenser or the refill product, or adversely affecting the product dispensing operation.